Only 1 in 4 meals cooked from scratch....

scheming_gypsy

adelight wrote: »

The m&s and waitrosr 2 dine for 10 meals are really nice ESP with the wine and desserts, I'd eat them every really busy day if I could afford it

I think Booths do a £7 meal for two as well. Never had one myself but a girl I worked with used to get them and was impressed.

BohemianCoast

rinabean wrote: »

But tinned beans are ready made. Tinned tomatoes are ready made. Frozen veg is prepared. That's not "from scratch". Those are processed prepared foods. That's one of the 3 in 4 meals.

I don't think this is what they mean, but I'd agree it's hard to draw the line. Most people would consider a ready meal to be not 'cooked from scratch', and a risotto made from rice, chicken stock, butter, onion, parmesan, and lovingly stirred for half an hour, to be 'cooked from scratch'. But the rice is hulled, the chicken stock came from a tub; someone churned the butter and made the cheese. If you're pedantic enough about it, very little is 'cooked from scratch'.

rinabean

BohemianCoast wrote: »

I don't think this is what they mean, but I'd agree it's hard to draw the line. Most people would consider a ready meal to be not 'cooked from scratch', and a risotto made from rice, chicken stock, butter, onion, parmesan, and lovingly stirred for half an hour, to be 'cooked from scratch'. But the rice is hulled, the chicken stock came from a tub; someone churned the butter and made the cheese. If you're pedantic enough about it, very little is 'cooked from scratch'.

Have you seen those american recipes where you "cook" with burger mixes and tinned soup and such? They put in effort, they assemble it themselves, they fry something and add some seasonings. Is it cooking or reheating? Yes, it's hard to draw the line.

I think the best way is to be absolutely and completely pedantic about this stuff! I've churned my own butter and ground my own flour but as I've not milked a cow or grown, harvested and processed my own grains, that's not from scratch. All of these people on here "cooking from scratch" and so proud about it are so much closer to the bad evil irresponsible ready meal users than they realise. I think that's what annoys me about it. There isn't a prize! There's no reason to get all judgemental and start tutting about the breakdown of the family and the end of the world. It's not a contest! And if it is, I'll win :P

Most ready meals are overpriced and not tasty enough. If I ever buy one, it's a nice one, on special offer, and it's as an alternative to going out for a meal. But ascribing a moral value to their purchase is ridiculous - and pretty hypocritical from most people.

valk_scot

I think a lot of people think of "cooked from scratch" as something out a recipe book. Whereas a grilled chop, boiled potatoes, tinned sweetcorn and frozen peas (one of our fairly regular fast meals) isn't actually regarded as cooking from scratch because it's so basic. Or if I use a bread mix in the breadmaker (got a pile of Hovis ones for 19p each out the reduced section) is that cooked from scratch? Or is a tin of ratatatoullie poured over white fish, topped with grated cheese and oven baked regarded as cooking from scratch? (Try it served with pasta...quick and delicious.)

Most of my mid week meals are quick knocked together things with not a recipe in sight. Or are HM but frozen, or I'll adapt a meal to include that bargain Finest tub of sauce I got out the Whoopsies for 10p last night. I think most of us do this. But is it cooking from scratch in the true sense of every ingredient a basic raw type one?

valk_scot

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

no typo! I like to cook and not just stick some mince in a pan and add a bottle of sauce. When I go shopping for a chilli it's:
A decent sized joint of beef - £8 ish. (stick it in the slow cooker with some oxo stock and red wine and leave till you can easily shred it).
Mince - about a kilo
**i should probably mention it cook it in a bit arsed pan (about 6 litres)**
about 4 bell peppers - green and red.
about 3 big onions or more small ones
chilli peppers
garlic
3 or 4 jars of Asda hot chilli sauce (as well as using herbs and spices and chilli powder etc), 99p a jar but does seem to work well compared to anything else I've tried, but I wouldn't just use it on its own.
sometimes I'll stick sweetcorn in

then there's the jalapenos, rice and refried beans; sub rolls, cheese and hotdogs to make chilli cheese dogs the next day.

Not forgetting the lager as well!

For the curry i'll use chicken breasts, lamb, prawns, mushrooms, beef, onions, peppers, chillis, garlic, ginger, 3 or 4 cartons of passata sauce etc etc.

So there you go... that's why it's about £50.

Beats me why you'd buy all these lovely fresh ingredients and then add jars of Asda sauce tbh. All you'll taste is the artificial wotsits in it. Why not spend a couple of pounds more and do things properly?


And if that lot only does 2-3 meals for a family of four...ahem, I don't like to be rude but how's their weight?

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I am constantly amazed that people who cannot cook are quite happy to fork out for meals takeaways and the like, because they are petrified of their cooker.
Homemade food done brilliantly can knock socks off most Takeaways and one can learn to cook simple ingredients welll.
It never ceases to amaze me that with all the TV Chefs around that this is still the case.:mad::mad::eek:

bugslet

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

I am constantly amazed that people who cannot cook are quite happy to fork out for meals takeaways and the like, because they are petrified of their cooker.
Homemade food done brilliantly can knock socks off most Takeaways and one can learn to cook simple ingredients welll.
It never ceases to amaze me that with all the TV Chefs around that this is still the case.:mad::mad::eek:

I'm not petrified, I just don't like cooking at all. I can cook, I don't want to and I have sufficient income to buy what I want.

I really don't see why people get so upset about that.

seraphina

I also disagree with the idea that schools should be teaching this kind of stuff. What are parents for, otherwise? Schools have plenty else to be getting on with without expecting them to teach basic life skills to kids.

atomicspaceship

I'm a 33yr-old chap and started my own business at the start of this year. I work all hours God sends trying to get my company up and running BUT I still make 95% of everything I eat myself! I also couldn't do takeaways and ready meals as they are just so horrendously expensive.

My secret has been batch cooking on a Sunday evening (which is remarkably therapeutic too!). Last night I made a big pan of veggie curry that has been put into tupperwares with some rice to create 'ready meals' for three nights this week that I'll have with pitta bread. I also did a big pan of spicy fennel, carrot and tomato soup for this week's lunches. I'm also using the soup as a pasta sauce and I cooked some pasta last night to make another 'ready meal'. Tonight I'm making a veggie stir fry with noodles that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and cook and I also made a fruit cake (dead cheap and so easy to make) last night, for 'elevenses' each day too!

I shouldn't have the time to do all this but I do. It's about motivating yourself and getting yourself organised. I save money, have a great feeling of satisfaction that I've got everything done and feel a lot heathier too!

mummyroysof3

i bet the majority of what we eat is not classed as cooked from scratch but i try..last night was grilled pork chops mash, carrots and frozen peas and sweetcorn..tonight is carbonara which from tescos ready meal deal oops